Toy roundabout.



P. T. WOLPERT. TOY ROUNDABOUT. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 15, I9Is.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

P. T. WOLPERT. TOY ROUNDABOUT. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 15. |915.

PatentedSept. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Inventor Witnesses Attorneys PET THOMAS WOLPERT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

TOY ROUNDABOUT.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PET THOMAS WOL- PERT, a citizen of the United States, residing atkAtlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Toy Roundabout, of which the following is a specication.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a toy of the roundabout type, and adapted to be manufactured in a comparatively small size, the rotatable element of the structure carrying swings 1n which figures are seated. By turning the rotatable element of the structure in one direction, a spring is put under tension, and when the rotatable element is released, this spring reacts and causes a rotation of the member which carries the swing. y

One objectief the invention is to improve a structure having the characteristics above noted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this type which can be knocked down and set up readily.

The invention aims to improve the suspension elements whichk carry the swings and to give to said elements new and added functions.

The invention aims to improve the swing construction in relation to the figures which are seated in the swings.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the'details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

. In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 shows in elevation, a toy constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top Iplan wherein sundry parts have been omitted for the sake of clearness;

' Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and showing the frame portion of the device in top plan;

Fig. .Leis a vertical section taken approximately on the line 4 4 of Fig. v3, parts appearingn elevation; .l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

Application iled November 15, 1916. Serial 110.1315194.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken approximately on the line 5 5 of Fig. t; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the lower portion of one of the swings.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a frame including a base made up of rectangularly disposed cross bars l provided intermediate their ends with interengaged notches 2. Superposed on the cross bars 1 at their place of intersection is a wear plate 3 which is made of metal. A block 4lis superposed on the wear plate 3 and is provided with a recess 5. Securing elements 6 pass downwardly through the block 4 and through the wear plate v3 and enter the crossbars 1,` to hold all of the parts above described together. rlhe frame above mentioned includes a cap 7 which preferably is of a frusto-pyramidal form, including side walls and a top. In the top of the cap 7, slots 8 are formed. The top of the cap 7 has a central opening 9 of circular contour.` Legs 10 pass upwardly through sockets 11 on the cap 7, and have upstanding tongues l2. The upper ends ofthe legs 10 are disposed inside of the cap 7, as shown in Fig. 4. The tongues 12 pass upwardly through the slots 8 in the top of the cap 7 and are bent down on the top of the cap, in a manner which will be manifest when Figs. 3 and 'l are examined. The foregoing construction embodies a novel and useful means whereby the legs 10 may be detachably assembled with the cap 7. Secured to the lower ends of the legs-l0 are strips 14 which may be made of metal, the strips 14: being united by attaching elements 15 with the cross bars 1 of the basey near to the outer ends of the cross bars. f .y The rotatable element of the structure includes a'shaft 16 the lower end of which is received for rotation in the recess 5 of the block 4 of the base. `The lower end of the shaft 16 is provided with a thrust bearing 17 which engages the wear plate 3. The thrust bearing 17 preferably is made of metal and is of bluntly pointed form, the cooperation betweenthe parts 17 and 3 r'esult- 18, is of rectangular cross sectionv A flag 19 may be mounted in the upper end of the part 18 of the shaft. The rotatable member of the device-includes a pair of recta'ngularly` disposed top bars 20, notched together intermediate their ends as shown at 21, after the manner of the cross barsl of the base. At their point of crossing, the top bars 20, are provided with squared sockets 22 receiving the part 18 of the shaft 16, so as to connectl the shaft andthe top bars for simultaneous rotation.` Hooks 23 are loosely attached to Y o ne of the top bars 20, to wit, to that cross barv which passes beneath the upper cross bar, near the place where the cross bars inture apart, the top bars 2O are slid upwardly off thesquared portion 18 of the shaft 16, the hooks 23 having first been disengaged from the keepers 24. Recalling that one of the objects of the invention is to provide a structure which can be taken down and vset up readily, the feature last above mentioned is of importance. Surrounding the shaft 16 is a helical spring, 25. The upper end of the spring 25 is detachably connected with an eye 26 carried by the shaft 16. rlhe lower end ofthe spring 25 is detachably-connected, as shown in Fig. 5, with an eye 27 mounted in the block 1. lt will be obvious that when the'shaft 16 is rotated in one direction by hand, through the medium of the top bars 20, the spring 25 will be put under tension, and when the rotatable member comprising the shaft 16 and the top bars 20 is released, the spring 25 will react, to cause a rotation of the shaft 16 and parts carried thereby,

the device thus operating as a spring actuated roundabout. The squared portion 18 of the shaft 16 near to its upper end is provided with openings 28. The top bars 20 of the rotatable member are provided nearl their ends with'outer openingsv29 and with inner openings 30. Flexible elements 31 are extended through the openings28 inthe upper end of the shaft. The flexible elements 31 are extended downwardly through the openin the openings 29 and-30 of the'top bars to hold the flexible elements 31 in place. Those portions of the flexible elements 31 which lie between the top bars y2O and the upper end 18k of the shaft constitute guys, sustaining thebars 20 at their outer ends. The construction issuoh that asingle ex-ible' eleofiiexiblc material, which may be rolled up tightly in spiral form, to facilitate the story-v ingv of the device in small compass. -The rim 34e serves as a connection between the ends of the top bars 20, to some extent, but

it is of'use mainly Iin supporting festoons 36, or similar decorations. 'lhose portions of the flexible elements '31 which extend between the squared upper end -18 of the shaft Y 16 and the outer ends of the top bars 20 may be similarly' decorated if desired.

The loops 32 support seats 37 having openings 38 through which the side portions of the -loops pass. Assembled with each seat 37' is an angular back bar 39, to the upperend of which a U-shaped strip 40 yis secured.r The ends of the strip 40 are provided with reducedextensions-11 Aterminating in eyes-i2 which engage the side portions of the loops 32.r Projecting inwardly from the extensions Ll1 are tongues 43. The

tonguesV 13 are connected by a tie 411 which may be a cord ora piece of wire. Dolls45 occupy the seats 37, the lf3-shaped strip 10 and. the tie ed: incl'osin'g` each doll. ln order to retain the dolls 4.15 in an erect and natural posture, rings 4.6 extend around the necks of the dolls 415 and incloseithe side portions The operation of the structure has been set forth hereinbefore, step by step, but by way of resume, it may be stated that the rotatable memberinay be turned manually by means of the top bars 20 to put the spring 25 under tension, and whenk the rotatable `member is released, the spring will reactv and cause the rotatable member to turn, carrying with it the swings 32-37 and the dolls 45 seated thereon. A review'of lthe various lfeatures hereinbeforedescribed will make it'evident that the device as an entity is so constructed that it may be set up and taken ap art readily.

Having thus described the i nventiomwhat is claimed ist 1. A toy of the roundabout type, comprising al "frame including a base, a caphaving side walls pro-vided with sockets and a top, the top being equippedwith openings, legs extended through the sockets and secured at their lower ends tothe base and having their upper ends disposed within the side walls,v and tongues carried by the legsm the 'tongues' extending through the openings, and belng clenched on the 'topf of the cap; and a rotatable member including a shaft journaled in the top of the cap and in the base.

2. A toy of the roundabout type, comprising a frame embodying a base, a cap and legs connecting the base and the cap; a rotatable member including a shaft journaled inthe base and in the cap; a spiral spring surrounding a portion of the shaft in a plurality of vertically superposed convolutions; means for securing the upper end of the spring to the shaft; and means for securing the lower end of the spring to the base.

In a toy of the roundabout type, comprising a rotatable member including crossed top bars, the top bars being equipped with a polygonal recess at their point of crossing; a shaft including a polygonal portion fitting in the recess, and a circular portion; a frame in which the circular portion of the shaft is journaled; and means for releasably Connecting one of the top bars with the polygonal portion of the shaft, at a point above the top bars, thereby to suspend the top bars on the polygonal portion of the shaft to enable the top bars to clear Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.-

the upper end of the frame, and to maintain the polygonal portion of the shaft engaged with the polygonal recess of the cross bars.

4. A toy of the roundabout type comprising a frame; a shaft journaled in the frame and provided with an opening adjacent its upper end; a top bar carried by the shaft and provided adjacent its ends with inner and outer openings; a flexible element extended til-rough the opening in the shaft and extended downwardly through the outer openings in the cross bar, the ends of the flexible element being extended upwardly through the inner openings in the cross bar to form loop-shaped swings; and securing devices eoperating with the open# ings and with the flexible element to prevent a movement of the flexible element in PET THOMAS WOLPERT.

Witnesses L. F. BOWEN, WM. I/VOLPERT.

Washington, D. C. 

